November 8, 1966

From 'Criminals at Large'

By MARTIN GANSBERG

THE PAPER DRAGON
By Evan Hunter.

"You'd really be surprised," says a lawyer early in this novel, "at how many plagiarism cases have been won on evidence that seems silly at first, similarities that seem ridiculous." And on this statement rests a good part of this lengthy story by Evan Hunter that recounts a week in a courtroom during which a typical case is studied. A new writer charges that the plot of his first venture into playwriting was stolen by a novelist and then a motion-picture company. It makes fascinating reading, because it has happened so often, and the dialogue, legal machinations and behind-the-scenes to-do are not unreal, even to the judge's ruling at the final hour on the final day. The age-old charge of the neophyte author, "Why, that's my story; he stole it!" is carefully assessed by a wide variety of characters.